Thermionic valve



Dec. 19, 1933. H. c. REAGAN THERMIONIC VALVE Filed March 21, 1930 FIGJ A TTORNE Y Patented Dec. l9, 19 33 5 I V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THERMIONIC VALVE Harry 0. Reagan, Nicoma Park, Okla. Application March 21, 1930. serial No. 437,848

6 Claims. (Cl. 250-275) My invention relates to thermionic valves or trated in the accompanying one-sheet drawing, tubespmore particularly those used in the radio of which,

art. Figure l is a top viewof my invention;

The objects of my invention are to provide a Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the device with device of this class which is new, novel, practithe plate laid out fiat; a!

cal and of utility; which will be more efiicient Fig. 3 is a top view showing the plate divided than tubes of present use; which will operate on into two parts;

a radio circuit of either A. C. or D. 0. current; Fig. 4 is a sc e at c View Of e fi a e a d which will provide a positive means of either Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing aslightly increasing or decreasing the electronic flow from different embod me of the fi the filament to the plate; which will prevent Like characters of reference designate like disturbances due a varying magnetic field when parts in all the figu es.

A. C. current is used; which will expedite the It is understood that various changes in the travel of electrons from the filament to the form. pr p r i n. z h p W i h n o h r ..p1a,te; hi h ill r du th negative space details of construction, within the scope of my 76;

charge between the filament and the plate; invention may be resorted to without departing which will provide an amplifier within thetube from the spir t or o d p cip of y v within the electronic field; the plate of which tion d Without c fici y Of e adv may be connected to and operate other radio tages thereof; and it is also understood that the m; apparatus; and hich i11 b efli ient in a drawing is to be interpreted as being illustrative 7|}; complishing all the purposes for which. it is and not rictive." i intended. .One practical embodiment of the invention as At the present time, the usual radio tube illustrated in e drawing comp either operates only upon D. C. curr t, andif A filament l of a suitable conductive mate- .85.. current is used different type t t rial,,which' is best seen in Fig. 4. Said filament 80;;

be supplied. The usual tube necessitates th comprises a heating and electron emissive eleuse of the exterior coil to regener te r amplify ment 2 in electrical contact with and surroundthe electronic fiow from the filament to the ed y 0011 Said element 2 has One Of its plate. The control of the electronic flow from als con t dv wi h the p v d f th filament, t th plate i ll e li h d the usual A battery or some other source of elec- 8:; by varying the potential of the grid, trical energy while the terminal of coil 3 is My tube may operate either on D, C, or A, 0, connected to the negative side of said A battery current. It does not necessitate the use of other source of energy- It Will be obvious exterior regenerating coils. I accomplish the that in this manner said element 2 and coil 3 I positi e ntrol f th l t ni flow from th are connected in series. It, may also be seen filament to the plate by making the plate in t that because the windings of said coil 3 are at or more .parts and varying the potential upon right angles to the axis Of and surround the these parts, thus permitting one part to be made magnetic field surrounding said element 2 will positive and another negative; or if desired all be at right angles to s d element 2, the ma 1.150 be made positive in difierent degrees. It is netic field generated by said coil 3. This will, 95.. obvious that by so constructing the plate, the of u s m a substantial a n ti cage difierent parts or divisions thereof may be around the heating element 2 and will thus neuconnected to other elements of a radio circuit t a the magnetic fi p d y d e efor their'operation and for purposes other than ments'2 and T e effect will be the elimina- J those specifically stated herein. tion of disturbances due to a varying magnetic I consider the construction of my filament a fi d When C. current is used- As y e radical departure from that of the usual filaseen in 5 I show a slightly different emment, and accomplish thereby new and useful bodiment of said filament 1. In this case, the results which are more fully brought out later heating elem is Constructed With tWO legs 4 herein. and 5 connected electrically at their tops as 196 With these and other objects in view as will shown at 6. The coil 3 in this case eminates more fully appear, my invention consists in the om e owe terminus of g 5 and. its sp a s construction, novel features, andcombination of surround both of the legs oo v y- Beth parts hereinafter more fully described, pointed the heating element and the coil are connected out in the claims hereto appended, and illusto the A battery or source of energy in a manner similar to that in which the filament shown in Fig. 4 is connected. By constructing said filament in accordance with Fig. 5, I am able to increase the heating and emissive capacity of the filament without effecting the neutralization of the magnetic field. It may also be seen that by constructing said coil 3 of an electron emitting material and using said element 2 as a heating element and an electronemissive element, said coil 3 will act as a partial neutralizing force in reducing the temperature change in the element 3 and will produce a time lag in heat change. It will be obvious that theli heating element may be made incandescent and the coil made of a material having low resistance, or they may both be madeincandescent', without effecting their action upon the magnetic field. It is also obvious thatboth the heating element and the coil or either .selectively may be constructed of or coated with an electron emitting materials, r Surrounding said filament 1, whether. it'nbe constructed in accordance with Fig. 4 or Fig. '5, is: provided a usual grid '7, its terminal 8 adapted to connect in a usual manner to. the usualgrid circuit of'thc radio. 1 l performs an office in my tube identical with the office performed by usual grids in tubes of know-noonstruction i I Surrounding said: grid 7 I provide an-ampli fying or regenerating 'coil 9 having its terminal 10 connected electrically to the positive side of theusual B batterybr other source-of electrical energy, and havingits upper end-11 connected to a plate 12. Said coil 9 is of a conductive ma-. terial, and occupies a. position between said grid 7 and said plate, 12 and is thus directly in the electronic field; The terminal .13 of the plate 12 may-be connected with the plate cir-. cuitin any usual manner. It is well known to those versed in the art that. any variation in the grid potential will cause a changeinthe electron flw from the filament to the plate andthat this in .turnlwiltcreate a variable potential and current fidw from the positive source of currentthrough the plate circuit. "In placing said vcoil 9 as above described,:-I accomplish a two-fold result. Said coil 9' the eifect of the varying potential flowing through it to. that, of the grid, thus amplifying the-trigger actiorL Said coil.9 also'due to. its'positive' potentialand due to its location directly within the electronic field, acts to reduce the negative space-charge. between the grid T and the plate .12. will ofcourse expeditethe electronic flow from/the; filament to the :plate. 'i

The. plateshown in Fig: l is" usualand is not. claimed bythis inventor as invention. How-3' ever in Figs. 2and3 I 'showsa different embodi-' ment of the'plate structure. this case the plate 12 comprises two sections 14 and 15, neither of which are in electrical contact with each. other, there being: openings between .them as shown at 16; The terminalfill oficoilais at-'. tached to section 14 of plate -'12, while theterF; minal .13 leads .from the other. section 15101 plate 12. The advantages gained by 'so con structing plate 12ers numerousii It is evident that byvarying the-potential. in saidsectio'ns 14 and 15,"I maycause elec-.. trons to flowto one section and not to the other by making one a positive plate and the other negative. I may also in the same manner make one positive and the other super-positive, thus absolutely controlling the electronic flow from the filament to the plate or any section thereof. It is to be understood that I reserve the right to form said plate 12 of any desired number of sections in which case each section but the ones to ,Which said coil -9 is connected will be supplied with one of the terminals 13. In dividing said plate 12 into sections, I am enabled to divide the amount of current flowing through plate 12, thus connecting the sections electrically..to.different apparatus of a radio. There are 'of course various circuits to which the above described ,valve may be applied to an advantage,

other than, the usual radio circuits. It is to be understood that the device as described will be enclosed by a usual envelope 1'7.

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than. that which is villustrated in the accompanying drawing and. described herein, and applicable for uses and purposes other thanas detailed, and I therefore consider my own all such modifications and adaptations and other uses of the form or" the ;2."Organization asdescribed in claim 1, in-

which said filament comprises a central member emitting magnetic, waves in a substantially horizontal plane, and a surrounding member emitting magnetic waves in a plane substantially. at right? connected electrically tov said regenerating .coil,. said'sections adapted to receive different potion-- tials ron controlling: the electronic ,flow from said filament plate. Y

1.4. Organization as described in, claimi'l, in which said-regenerating coil'has one of its terminals electrically connected .to an external circuit and its otheriterminalconnected-to the. plate, and in which said regenerating coil is in Organization :as described in claim 1, in,

which said regenerating coil has one of its terminals electrically connectedto an'external cir-.

cult, andits-otherterminal connected to 1 the plate, and in which said regenerating coil is in plate' series with said plate, andv between said and the source or'electrical energy. I

r HARRY o. 'REAGANI 

